₦airaland Forum

Trial of Fred Ajudua who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for conspiring with one Charles Ovie to defraud Mr. Remy Cime, a Dutch National of the sum of $1.69m, at a Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja, suffered a setback on Monday as his new counsel, Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan, SAN, filed an interlocutory application for stay of proceedings or for the case to be transferred to another Judge.


According to him, the presiding judge, Justice Olubunmi Oyewole was biased towards his client.

According to a statement by the EFCC, the prosecuting counsel, Oluwemimo Ogunde, SAN, immediately told the court that he only received the application on Friday July 5, 2013, and prayed the court to give him seven days to respond to the application.

Before adjourning the case to September 24, 2013, Justice Oyewole expressed displeasure at the delay in the commencement of trial which was slated to commence on Monday as the prosecution showed its readiness to present its witnesses.

full story at
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The Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, on Monday advised condom consumers not to patronise hawkers because the safety standard of such commodity may have been compromised.


A statement signed by the institute Head of Communication, Mr. Dennis Mordi, quoted Mr. Silas Gurumdi, Programme Manager on Prevention, as saying that most condoms sold by hawker
s could have been exposed to sunlight, expired and could easily tear during use.


“You do not know how they have stored these condoms and how long they have kept them; you do not even know the source of their condoms.

“Even if they got them from a chemist or some kind of pharmacy, the mere fact that they are carrying them under the sun and rain exposes the condom to a lot of danger.

“Most of the condoms being hawked are sometimes expired and tear easily during use.
“What that means is that....

read more about the danger
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Telecommunications subscribers, whose numbers were disconnected after the expiration of the June 30 deadline for SIM card registration, will forfeit the numbers in 90 days if they do not report to their network operators for full registration.


SIM cards already barred will be permanently disconnected on September 28, 2013 if their owners do not register them with the operators.

The Director, Public Affairs, Nigerian Communications Commission, Mr. Tony Ojobo, disclosed this to our correspondent in a telephone interview on Sunday.

Speaking on the disconnected SIMs, he said, “As long as they are not registered, they can’t be reconnected. If after 90 days and there are no activities on the SIMs, the operator can recover the numbers.

“If the subscribers register their disconnected SIMs, they will be reconnected. We are doing this because these numbers are like resources.”

Some telecommunications subscribers were shocked on Friday as their mobile lines were finally disconnected from the operators’ network because their SIM cards were not registered.

Those affected were not able to use their phones to make calls or send text messages. But BlackBerry services were operational on the affected lines.

Some aggrieved subscribers stormed the operators’ service centres, with most of them claiming to have registered their SIM cards.

Our correspondent gathered that the affected subscribers were issued application forms at the service centres, which they were expected to fill before being readmitted into the networks, and were also expected to provide their biometric data.

Such subscribers are expected to be readmitted into the network within hours after the process has been completed.

From all indications, the actual disconnection of unregistered SIMs took effect five days after the June 30 deadline set by the NCC.

Two subscribers, who were earlier disconnected, confirmed to our correspondent that their SIM cards had been reconnected after the completion and submission of the application forms at their respective operators’ service centres.

MTN Nigeria said on Friday that following the expiration of the deadline for SIM registration, it had deactivated unregistered subscribers as directed by the NCC.

“We, therefore, wish to inform affected subscribers that they can reconnect their lines by visiting the nearest MTN Service Centre, Connect Store or SIM registration point. We have set up registration points in several places for this purpose,” the Corporate Services Executive, MTN Nigeria, Mr. Akinwale Goodluck, said.

He explained that the process of reconnection was easy.

Goodluck said, “On arrival, you will be required to complete the SIM registration process or update your personal information and provide biometric data, after which your SIM card will be re-activated as soon as possible.

“We urge all affected customers not to panic, as our team of customer service officers are more than ready to assist in reactivating their lines once they have completed their SIM registration as mandated by the NCC.”

The spokesperson for Airtel Nigeria, Mr. Emeka Oparah, also told our correspondent in a telephone interview that the firm had adhered strictly to the NCC directive.

“The NCC has given a directive, and we must abide by it,” he said.

Source: Punch Newspaper
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Yobe state governor Ibrahim Gaidam has visited Government Secondary School Mamudo 24 hours after unknown gunmen had attacked and killed twenty students and one teacher in the school.

The State Commissioner of Education Alhaji Mohammed Lamin informed the governor that two more students later died while on admission in the Potiskum General hospital as the death toll rose to 24, adding a resident of Mamudo who was traced to his home and killed shortly after the attack on the school.

According to the commissioner, the hoodlums assembled the students before shooting at them from different directions as the students scampered to safety.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam who was visibly touched by the killings described it as inhumane and noted that God will expose the perpetrators and sponsors of the dastard act.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam called on the security forces to change their modus operandi in checking the activities of the dreaded Islamists to end the ceaseless attacks in the state and the north-east zone as a whole.

He also called on the Chief of Defense Staff and the security forces to as a matter of urgency consider the restoration of GSM services in the three states under the state of emergency as residents are finding it difficult to report perpetrators of the acts to relevant authorities as residents who has information to divulge to security agents are not able to reach the JTF.

He said in the two separate attacks on schools in the state, it was reported that residents saw the hoodlums at suburb of Damaturu the state capital but JTF could not be reached because of the absence of GSM services.

Governor Ibrahim Gaidam also revealed that boarding schools in the state will be fenced as the Joint Task force will provide the needed security across all schools in the state.

Yesterday’s attack has brought the number of schools attacked by the insurgents to two.

The three states under state of emergency have been without the services of the GSM networks all with the aim of curtailing the grouping and regrouping of the insurgents.

Meanwhile, the Yobe state governor Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam has directed that all secondary schools in the state be closed down from Monday 8th July until a new academic session begins in September.

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the governor on Media and Information Abdullahi Bego shortly after returning from Mamudo says “the measure is to allow government in collaboration with the Military Task Force and community leaders to evaluate and evoke better and additional strategies that would ensure the safety of and security of students and their teachers”.
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At least two people has been reported dead in the crash, while another 181 people were taken to hospitals, most with minor injuries, authorities said. Five people, including one child, remained in critical condition at San Francisco General Hospital after the Asiana Airlines flight packed with more than 300 people slammed into the runway while landing at San Francisco airport Saturday and caught fire, forcing many to escape by sliding down the emergency inflatable slides as flames tore through the plane.

As the plane approached the runway from the waters of San Francisco Bay around noon, travellers in the terminals and others eyewitnesses could see that the aircraft was swaying unusually from side to side and that at one point the tail seemed to hit the ground.

By the time the flames were out, the top of the Boeing 777′s fuselage had burned away. The tail section was gone, with pieces of it scattered across the beginning of the runway. One engine appeared to have broken away. Emergency responders could be seen walking inside the burned-out wreckage.

The investigation has been turned over to the FBI and terrorism has been ruled out, said San Francisco Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White said. Federal aviation and transportation investigators were heading to the scene. Asiana, Boeing and the engine manufacturer, Pratt & Whitney, pledged to work with them.

Vedpal Singh, who was sitting in the middle of the aircraft and survived the crash with his family, said it was a miracle that people survived the crash as there was no forewarning from the pilot or any crew members before the plane touched down hard and he heard a loud sound.

A visibly shaken Singh said the plane went silent before people tried to get out anyway they could. His 15-year-old son said luggage tumbled from the overhead bins, the entire incident lasted about 10 seconds.

Based on witness accounts in the news and video of the wreckage, Mike Barr, a former military pilot and accident investigator who teaches aviation safety at the University of Southern California, said it appeared the plane approached the runway too low and something may have caught the runway lip — the seawall at the end of the runway.

San Francisco is one of several airports around the country that border bodies of water that have walls at the end of their runways to prevent planes that overrun a runway from ending up in the water.

Since the plane was about to land, its landing gear would have already been down, Barr said. It’s possible the landing gear or the tail of the plane hit the seawall, he said. If that happened, it would effectively slam the plane into the runway, he said.

Noting that some witnesses reported hearing the plane’s engines rev up just before the crash, Barr said that would be consistent with a pilot who realized at the last minute that the plane was too low and was increasing power to the engines to try to increase altitude. Barr said he could think of no reason why a plane would come in to land that low.

The flight originated in Shanghai, China, and stopped over in Seoul, South Korea, before coming to San Francisco, airport officials said. The airline said there were 16 crew members aboard, and the 291 passengers included 77 South Koreans, 141 Chinese, 61 Americans and one Japanese citizen. The nationalities of the remaining passengers weren’t immediately known.

Airport spokesman Doug Yakel said 49 people were in serious condition and 132 had less significant injuries.

The airport closed for several hours, and when it reopened, two of the four runways were operating.

Asiana is a South Korean airline, second in size to national carrier Korean Air. It has recently tried to expand its presence in the United States, and joined the Star Alliance, which is anchored in the U.S. by United Airlines.

The 777-200 is a long-range plane from Boeing. The twin-engine aircraft is one of the world’s most popular long-distance planes, often used for flights of 12 hours or more, from one continent to another. The airline’s website says its 777s can carry between 246 to 300 passengers.

The flight was 10 hours and 23 minutes, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking service. The 777 is a smaller, wide-body jet that can travel long distances without refueling and is typically used for long flights over water.

The most notable accident involving a 777 occurred on Jan. 17, 2008 at Heathrow Airport in London. British Airways Flight 28 landed hard about 1,000 feet short of the runway and slid onto the start of the runway. The impact broke the 777-200′s landing gear. There were 47 injuries, but no fatalities.

An investigation revealed ice pellets that had formed in the fuel were clogging the fuel-oil heat exchanger, blocking fuel from reaching the plane’s engines. The Rolls-Royce Trent 800 series engines that were used on the plane were then redesigned.
- See more at: http://informationnigeriatoday..com/2013/07/san-francisco-air-crash-claims-2-lives.html#sthash.wUeq9Go4.dpuf

South Africans outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria where former president Nelson Mandela is in a critical condition, joined the congregation of the Regina Mundi Church in Soweto and countless others in the country to pray for the health of the ailing human rights activist on Sunday.

Mandela is now spending his 30th consecutive day in hospital, and is said by the South African government to be in a critical but stable condition, after being admitted for a recurring lung infection at the beginning of June — his fourth hospitalisation in six months.

A group of Christian women sang and offered prayers for the man the country affectionately knows at Tata Madiba, referring to Mandela’s clan name.

Mandela’s daughter, Mkaziwe, was seen visiting the hospital earlier on Sunday.

At the Regina Mundi Catholic Church in Pretoria, Sunday prayers were dedicated to Mandela, led by Father Jeffrey Madondo.

Worshipper Mrs. Makukule said she hoped for Mandela’s recovery.

The failing health of 94-year-old Mandela, a figure admired globally as a symbol of struggle against injustice and racism, has reinforced a realisation that the father of post-apartheid South Africa will not be around for ever.

Channel TV
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Nigeria have made nine changes to their squad for the Confederations Cup from the one that won the Africa Cup of Nations in February.
Coach Stephen Keshi will take four uncapped players to the tournament, which kicks off in Brazil on 15 June.

Keshi has a settled look about his defence but has made a host of changes with Victor Moses and Emmanuel Emenike unavailable.
Joseph Yobo, Peter Odemwingie and Obafemi Martins have been overlooked.

Keshi was criticised by local media before the Nations Cup for choosing inexperienced, home-based players but since winning the continental championship has silenced the doubters.

Nigeria are in Group B along with Tahiti, Uruguay and Spain for the Confederations Cup, while Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Italy make up Group A.

Before heading to Brazil, Nigeria travel to Namibia for a World Cup qualifier in Windhoek on Wednesday.
The Super Eagles sit at the top of their group, two points ahead of Malawi with two rounds of matches remaining.

Nigeria squad:

Goalkeepers: Chigozie Agbim (Enugu Rangers), Austin Ejide (Hapoel Beer Sheva), Vincent Enyeama (Maccabi Tel Aviv)

Defenders: Efe Ambrose (Celtic), Francis Benjamin (Heartland FC), Elderson Echiejile (Sporting Braga), Azubuike Egwuekwe (Warri Wolves), Solomon Kwambe, Godfrey Oboabona (both Sunshine Stars), Kenneth Omeruo (ADO Den Haag)

Midfielders: Emeka Eze (Enugu Rangers), John Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Fegor Ogude (Valerenga), John Ogu (Academica Coimbra), Ogenyi Onazi (Lazio), Sunday Mba (Enugu Rangers)

Forwards: Joseph Akpala (Werder Bremen), Michael Babatunde (FC Kryvbas), Muhammad Gambo (Kano Pillars), Brown Ideye (Dynamo Kiev), Ahmed Musa (CSKA Moscow), Nnamdi Oduamadi (Varese), Anthony Ujah (FC Cologne).

read more at http://informationnigeriatoday..com/2013/06/nigeria-to-take-new-look-squad-to.html